The Boxing Standard

An online journal of boxing.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Chris Arreola

Is there any reason, in light of last night's HBO win over Jameel McCline, to pay attention to Chris Arreola?

He's not going to improve much. He's a lazy motherfucker who relies on his power. He's relaxed enough in there so that he can go rounds without being in the best of shape. It'd take a trainer who not only understood that about him but who was also a master of psychology to bring out the best in him. The way you deal with this kid when he gets hurt isn't to tell him too much technical stuff, but to mention his daughter to him. You know, these fighters nowadays aren't true professionals.

And he's going to get knocked out now and then. Part of the problem with contemporary marketing is that there's no room for a guy who gets knocked out. That's stupid. This kid swings for the fences, punches hard, is in entertaining fights, comes off the canvas swinging, and takes his chances. That's a fighter I want to watch. He's not a great fighter. So what? Among today's heavyweights, he's way up there in the mix, and people will always be curious about how he'll do. Doesn't that make him more interesting than Valuev, Povetkin, Chambers, Peter, Chagaev, Rahman, Maskaev, and damn near anybody else in the current top ten?

I'd like to see him get his chance at either Klitschko brother now that there's a buzz around him. He's as ready as he'll ever be. And the division needs this kind of wildcard matchup.